Kenya, on Saturday, March 1, nominated respected scholar Prof. Phoebe Okowa for election as a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2026.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei revealed Okowa was Kenya’s nominee to the prestigious global body.
“The highly distinguished Prof. Phoebe Okowa, member of the International Law Commission, is Kenya’s nominee for Judge of the International Court of Justice during the election of 2026,” Sing’oei’s statement read.
Okawa, an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, is renowned for her expertise in public international law. In 2021, Okowa was elected to the United Nations International Law Commission for a five-year term starting January 1, 2023, becoming the first African woman to serve as a member
Okowa has An Oxford PhD graduate, she has acted as counsel and consultant to governments and non-governmental organizations on questions of international law before domestic and international courts, including the ICJ.
The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). Its main role is to settle legal disputes between states and give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by UN organs and specialized agencies.
The ICJ consists of 15 judges who serve for a term of nine years. Elections for one-third (five) of the seats are held every three years to ensure continuity.
The elections take place within the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) simultaneously but separately. A candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes in both the UNGA and the UNSC to be elected.
For the absolute majority in UNGA, one must get at least 97 votes (out of 193 member states), while for the absolute majority in UNSC, one must get at least 8 votes (out of 15 members).
Voting is by secret ballot and conducted separately in each body. If the required majority is not reached in the first round, multiple rounds of voting are held until all five positions are filled.
If there is a deadlock (UNGA and UNSC cannot agree on a candidate), a special joint conference of six members (three from each organ) may be formed to resolve the issue.
ICJ’s statutes dictate that judges must be of high moral character and possess recognized competence in international law. Further, the court should have a fair representation of the world’s major legal systems. Another rule is that no two judges can be from the same country.
If elected, Okowa will be the first Kenyan to serve at the ICJ since Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf.